Advanced oxidation processes for the degradation of microplastics from the environment: A review

Abstract

Microplastic pollution has rapidly become one of the major global environmental concerns because of its low biodegradability rate and threat to biota. Although many treatment methods are reported, the advanced oxidation process (AOP) is recommended because of its capacity to completely mineralize organic pollutants into carbon dioxide and water. This review gathers published investigations on recent AOP techniques (UV/solar photolysis and photocatalysis (PC), UV/H2O2, Fenton reaction, sonolysis, heat‐activated persulphate and peroxymonosulphate) tested for the degradation of microplastics from water and wastewater. The review lists 54 studies, by far the most comprehensive collection on the AOP‐driven treatment of microplastics, and is also the first to explain the methods related to the ultrasonic degradation of microplastics. We found that all the reviewed AOP techniques achieved satisfying performance in the degradation of microplastics. This paper proposes recommendations for future research based on the review.